2 answers
Diya
Student
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
5
Questions
Updated
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What skills does one need to get a creative consultant Internship/ job? Is it well paying? And does it have any scope in India for a fresher with no experience?
I recently came across with this field of career and although I don't know very much, I am curious to learn and see If I am fit for the role or not. I am very fond of aesthetics and not going to lie love to give creative advice, Is that something one can get a career out of?
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2 answers
Gustavo Asman
I work as Creative Director at a strategy and communications firm that works with nonprofits
13
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Gustavo’s Answer
Hi Diya, in my opinion (not sure about your experience) but the way consultancy works is that folks may reach out to get your creative advice after years of work and experience, not just because you love doing so :)
Again, not truly know how that goes in your case, but I do not see a ton of consultants and the ones I see in companies are a few, with tons of years under their belt, usually almost retired folks or folks that got tired or out of the system/firms they used to work at, and become consultants.
I am not saying folks cannot be consultants in other ways, and I am talking mostly about what I have seen in Latin American and about 20 years in the US.
The last disappointing fact may be that as far as I see and hear, a lot of roles like interns are being replaced by AI on a number of fronts, orgs and firms. I hear over and over again, from folks, friends, colleagues or former colleagues, how hard the market is, as is, and how young folks have it really hard, given the fact that if you just started or are still studying you can't simply climb and get a mid level role... and for starting roles in a lot of places they simply do not have that entry level anymore, like inters and stuff, because in many places they are being replaced by ai to do some of that without paying.
Big caveat to say that if your experience will be in India, given you mention that country above, maybe things are different, I am not familiar with that market, but something tells me that in one way or another this is the new reality in many places.
Is it good, fair or nice? I don't think so, and it is alarming if it continues, as newer generations are fighting way more now to access not even a decent job but the opportunity to even start and be part of things.
And my last thought after reviewing your question again and again. I think part of the issue is the question itself and assumption in it: meaning, you talk about an internship for creative consultant... and that is the part that, the way I see it, does not add up.
You can intern as a copywriter, designer, etc, any role probably... if you find one, and then become a designer, writer, strategist or whatever... and after some time doing so, you may be able to work as consultant for firms... but the internship itself is not as a consultant. I don't think I have ever seen an intern that had an internship "as consultant" but interships about creative roles... that eventually can give you a role, and then the experience to become a consultant at firms... but the internship it is not "to be a consultant" if that makes sense...
Best of luck.
Again, not truly know how that goes in your case, but I do not see a ton of consultants and the ones I see in companies are a few, with tons of years under their belt, usually almost retired folks or folks that got tired or out of the system/firms they used to work at, and become consultants.
I am not saying folks cannot be consultants in other ways, and I am talking mostly about what I have seen in Latin American and about 20 years in the US.
The last disappointing fact may be that as far as I see and hear, a lot of roles like interns are being replaced by AI on a number of fronts, orgs and firms. I hear over and over again, from folks, friends, colleagues or former colleagues, how hard the market is, as is, and how young folks have it really hard, given the fact that if you just started or are still studying you can't simply climb and get a mid level role... and for starting roles in a lot of places they simply do not have that entry level anymore, like inters and stuff, because in many places they are being replaced by ai to do some of that without paying.
Big caveat to say that if your experience will be in India, given you mention that country above, maybe things are different, I am not familiar with that market, but something tells me that in one way or another this is the new reality in many places.
Is it good, fair or nice? I don't think so, and it is alarming if it continues, as newer generations are fighting way more now to access not even a decent job but the opportunity to even start and be part of things.
And my last thought after reviewing your question again and again. I think part of the issue is the question itself and assumption in it: meaning, you talk about an internship for creative consultant... and that is the part that, the way I see it, does not add up.
You can intern as a copywriter, designer, etc, any role probably... if you find one, and then become a designer, writer, strategist or whatever... and after some time doing so, you may be able to work as consultant for firms... but the internship itself is not as a consultant. I don't think I have ever seen an intern that had an internship "as consultant" but interships about creative roles... that eventually can give you a role, and then the experience to become a consultant at firms... but the internship it is not "to be a consultant" if that makes sense...
Best of luck.
Hi Gustavo, I understand that its unusual to go straight from college to the role of consultant but I also know that many consulting firms do internships (McKinsey, PwC, etc). While these interns may not be considered full consultants, they do work on real projects with organizations and provide recommended solutions to the company's problems. Are there creative consulting firms that exist and may they provide similar opportunities?
Gurpreet Lally, Admin
To the question i got from Admin, I believe... as far as i know (I have lived and worked in a couple countries in Latin America, the US and Southeast Asia) in all countries there may be some opportunities to do an internship, with the important caveat that in a lot of places internships are not necessarily paid. They think they pay you with the experience you get out of it.
Gustavo Asman
Dalia Salazar
Consulting
19
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Dalia’s Answer
Hi Diya, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "creative consultant" but since you have marketing and advertising tags on your question, I'll assume you mean marketing consulting.
There are two main ways that I'm familiar with that allow you to enter the career path of marketing consulting.
1. Gain experience in a hands-on role like graphic design, copywriting, marketing project management, brand strategy, or advertising. This could be at a marketing or advertising agency, or you could work for an in-house marketing department at a company (that means the company does its own marketing instead of hiring an agency). Based on your message, it sounds like you might be interested in brand strategy or advertising where you can apply a lot of creativity to marketing campaigns and problem solving. Once you spend a few years gaining hands-on experience, you could transition to consulting.
2. Pursue a career in marketing consulting. There are many large companies like Deloitte, PwC, and others, or even smaller boutique consulting firms that have marketing-focused groups. Depending on the company, their marketing group may focus more on Marketing Technology software implementations or agency-like projects with a strong element of design. As a college freshman, you can apply for internships at consulting firms and express interest in joining the marketing group. For the larger companies, you may not get a choice of where you get placed, but smaller consulting firms might allow you to have a preference.
In general, I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with Adobe Creative Cloud apps and other popular marketing technologies to understand what kinds of tools are used. Next, research job titles that sound interesting to you based on your passions. Then, network with professionals on LinkedIn who have experience in your most desired jobs and set up informational interviews with them. This is where you ask someone questions about their career path, how they got to where they are now, and tips on what skills you should build to follow a similar path.
Learn about Adobe Creative Cloud
Research job titles that are similar to marketing consulting and brand strategy
Network on LinkedIn
Set up informational interviews
There are two main ways that I'm familiar with that allow you to enter the career path of marketing consulting.
1. Gain experience in a hands-on role like graphic design, copywriting, marketing project management, brand strategy, or advertising. This could be at a marketing or advertising agency, or you could work for an in-house marketing department at a company (that means the company does its own marketing instead of hiring an agency). Based on your message, it sounds like you might be interested in brand strategy or advertising where you can apply a lot of creativity to marketing campaigns and problem solving. Once you spend a few years gaining hands-on experience, you could transition to consulting.
2. Pursue a career in marketing consulting. There are many large companies like Deloitte, PwC, and others, or even smaller boutique consulting firms that have marketing-focused groups. Depending on the company, their marketing group may focus more on Marketing Technology software implementations or agency-like projects with a strong element of design. As a college freshman, you can apply for internships at consulting firms and express interest in joining the marketing group. For the larger companies, you may not get a choice of where you get placed, but smaller consulting firms might allow you to have a preference.
In general, I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with Adobe Creative Cloud apps and other popular marketing technologies to understand what kinds of tools are used. Next, research job titles that sound interesting to you based on your passions. Then, network with professionals on LinkedIn who have experience in your most desired jobs and set up informational interviews with them. This is where you ask someone questions about their career path, how they got to where they are now, and tips on what skills you should build to follow a similar path.
Dalia recommends the following next steps: